Imagine a battery that can be recharged hundreds of thousands of times without ever corroding. A team of researchers at the University of California, Irvine, recently has invented just that using a nanowire-based battery material.
This doesn't mean that we'll soon see such batteries on store shelves. The new research was intended to test nanowires and not a practical battery, research co-author Dr. Reginald Penner, chemistry professor at the university, told The Huffington Post on Friday.
Advertisement
The new battery technology, however, could edge us closer to possibly developing longer lasting commercial batteries for computers, smartphones, cars and spacecraft in the future.
"Scientists are interested in nanowires because they allow high power to be obtained, without reducing the total amount of energy that is stored," Penner said.
"But nanowires are fragile," he added. "Any corrosion or dissolution of the nanowire material leads very quickly to breakage of the nanowire, and a loss of its capacity -- which is bad. Our research is important because it demonstrates that a very simple modification to a battery or capacitor may allow nanowire electrode materials to last a lot longer, up to 40 times longer in our studies."
For the research, published in the journal Energy Letters on Wednesday, gold nanowires were coated with a manganese dioxide shell and encased in an electrolyte made of a Plexiglas-like gel. The nanowires are each thousands of times thinner than a human hair.
Advertisement
Next, the researchers tested the power of the electrode up to 200,000 times over three months. They were shocked to find that, despite all of the tests, there was no loss of capacity or power and the nanowires didn't fracture.
"We were not attempting to extend the cycle life of these electrodes -- we just were trying to prepare a solid state version of them by substituting a gel electrolyte for the liquid electrolyte," Penner said.
The researchers concluded that the gel may plasticize the metal oxide in the battery and give it added flexibility, while also preventing any cracking -- allowing it to last longer than expected.
Advertisement
"The coated electrode holds its shape much better, making it a more reliable option," said research lead author Mya Le Thai, a UCI doctoral candidate, in a statement. "This research proves that a nanowire-based battery electrode can have a long lifetime and that we can make these kinds of batteries a reality."
Support HuffPost
Our 2024 Coverage Needs You
Your Loyalty Means The World To Us
At HuffPost, we believe that everyone needs high-quality journalism, but we understand that not everyone can afford to pay for expensive news subscriptions. That is why we are committed to providing deeply reported, carefully fact-checked news that is freely accessible to everyone.
Whether you come to HuffPost for updates on the 2024 presidential race, hard-hitting investigations into critical issues facing our country today, or trending stories that make you laugh, we appreciate you. The truth is, news costs money to produce, and we are proud that we have never put our stories behind an expensive paywall.
As Americans head to the polls in 2024, the very future of our country is at stake. At HuffPost, we believe that a free press is critical to creating well-informed voters. That's why our journalism is free for everyone, even though other newsrooms retreat behind expensive paywalls.
Our journalists will continue to cover the twists and turns during this historic presidential election. With your help, we'll bring you hard-hitting investigations, well-researched analysis and timely takes you can't find elsewhere. Reporting in this current political climate is a responsibility we do not take lightly, and we thank you for your support.
Thank you for your past contribution to HuffPost. We are sincerely grateful for readers like you who help us ensure that we can keep our journalism free for everyone.
The stakes are high this year, and our 2024 coverage could use continued support. Would you consider becoming a regular HuffPost contributor?
Dear HuffPost Reader
Thank you for your past contribution to HuffPost. We are sincerely grateful for readers like you who help us ensure that we can keep our journalism free for everyone.
The stakes are high this year, and our 2024 coverage could use continued support. If circumstances have changed since you last contributed, we hope you’ll consider contributing to HuffPost once more.